Former Shins Drummer Jesse Sandoval: "I Got Fired"

"It confuses me why [James Mercer] has a hard time saying that."

Talking to Pitchfork back in May, Shins frontman James Mercer explained why keyboardist Marty Crandall and drummer Jesse Sandoval were no longer in the band. "It's an aesthetic decision," said Mercer, not elaborating much.

This week, Sandoval broke his silence with an interview with the Portland Mercury. And let's just say he probably was surprised to read when Mercer told us, "I'm on good terms with those guys, I hope to maintain that. I wouldn't say I'd never work with them again. I love working with those guys."

In the Mercury interview, Sandoval shared feelings about leaving the band-- or, as he puts it, getting fired. "I unequivocally got fired," he said. "And it kind of confuses me why [Mercer] has a hard time saying that. I understand he's probably doing it out of respect for me reading interviews. It might be hard for him to say it, but I got fired. There's no other way of looking at it."

Sandoval said that he could see the end coming. "James had mentioned that he wanted to blow up this band a long time ago; he was frustrated. And I don't know if it was him being creatively frustrated or where he was in his space and mindset to say that, but when I reflect, the fact that I wasn't a slick drummer played a huge part in it. I did my fair share of beating myself up over whether or not I was a good drummer-- and of course I have people on my side saying, 'You're a great drummer!' and I know James has people on his side, probably saying, 'It's a good decision for your career.'

"When I think about this, probably if James really had complete say in it, he would have killed the Shins. I definitely believe management's like, 'You know, you can't start over, you built a name, people recognize you--why would you want to start all over?' And so, the only thing he had left to do was to really make a drastic change, and I know working in Los Angeles with a bunch of studio people, he was able to find himself in a position where he didn't have to do 15 takes. Even himself, he could have someone play his parts, and that's a romantic idea. I don't blame him for that.

However, Sandoval doesn't want fans to take out their frustrations on the music. He said, "A lot of people have been saying, 'I'm never going to buy another Shins album again! How can James Mercer do that?' And I have my reasons to be angry at James, but I don't want to be a part of any sort of movement where everybody's against the Shins."

The Mercury has put the unedited transcript of the interview online here.